Attendance – Primary

WHAT IF MY CHILD IS ABSENT FROM SCHOOL?

It is very important that all children attend school regularly, but if your child is unwell they should not be sent to school. If you are unsure as to whether your child is ill, it’s always best to take them to their GP who will advise you if they are well enough to attend. If your child has been sick or is suffering from diarrhoea, they can return to school 48 hours after their final bout.

You are expected to inform school on the first day of absence. If we have not heard from you by the close of registration, the school will attempt to contact. Acceptable reasons for absence are: sickness; hospital/dental appointments; religious holidays; attendance at court; funerals etc. However, all appointments should, where possible, be arranged after the school day or during holidays. School reserves the right to ask to see confirmation of appointments.

Under no circumstances may children leave school by themselves during school hours. Parents/carers who collect children to go to the doctor, dentist etc must first report to the office and the child will be collected from the classroom.

At St Gregory the Great School we monitor the attendance of each child and contact families where children are absent and the school has not been given a reason or where there is a pattern of absence.

WHAT IF MY CHILD IS LATE?

It is very important that all children are in school on time. A child will be recorded as late if they arrive in the classroom 15 minutes after the start of the school day. It is equally as important that children should be picked up from school promptly. If, for any reason, you are going to be late, please contact the school office, so that we know what is happening. It can be very distressing for a child if we do not know anything. All children who are picked up late will be placed in our wrap around care and parents may be charged accordingly.

WHAT HAPPENS IF WE HAVE TO GO AWAY IN TERM TIME?

The law requires that, once a child is on the school’s register, they should be sent to school every day that it is open. There is no right to time off for holidays and these will not be authorised.

If parents/carers are considering a holiday during term time, for whatever reason, this must be discussed with the Executive Principal well before any bookings are made. A leave of absence form must be filled in and signed by the Executive Principal. The holiday will be reported as unauthorised absence, if a child is missing from education, we will inform Oxfordshire County Council. Unauthorised absence of more than two weeks may result in the child being taken off roll and the place being given to the next child on our waiting list.

St Gregory the Great School, Oxford is a rich and diverse community. We aim to offer a wealth of learning experiences, extra-curricular activities and opportunities to make a positive contribution to our community.